Young Bears come up big on defense against Chargers

How many times has Robbie Gould missed two field goal attempts in a game?

The Bears' 22-19 victory over the Chargers didn't turn in the third quarter, but it could have gone the wrong direction in a hurry if not for a quick stop on the opening possession.

The victory for John Fox's team came because the Bears found a way to stop beating themselves as they did repeatedly in the first half, especially in the closing minutes when an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Kyle Long eliminated a chance for a 53-yard field goal and a roughing the passer call against Jarvis Jenkins set up an easy field goal that put the Chargers ahead 16-7 at halftime.

Inside linebackers

Grade: 6

With the Chargers getting the ball to begin the third quarter, it was a chance for them to jump further ahead, but three consecutive plays by young players forced a three-and-out.

First, undrafted rookie linebacker Jonathan Anderson worked off the block of center Trevor Robinson to stop running back Melvin Gordon for a 3-yard gain. On second down, second-year linebacker Christian Jones came downhill and worked off a block of tight end David Johnson to stop Gordon for no gain. Then on third down, undrafted rookie cornerback Bryce Callahan had blanket coverage on Stevie Johnson to force an incompletion and punt.

What was interesting is Anderson took on a bigger role, getting 69 of the 70 snaps on defense while Jones was taken out of the base scheme and got only 52. The Chargers did some damage underneath with running back Danny Woodhead and tight end Antonio Gates, who eluded Anderson on a 40-yard gain. But the defense wasn't going to shut out those targets. Anderson also made some nice plays in the middle of the field, stopping wide receiver Dontrelle Inman immediately on a 5-yard crossing route and making multiple stops of Gates and Woodhead. It wasn't a clean game for the youngsters in the middle but was an improvement and Gordon had only 31 yards on 11 carries.

Defensive line

Grade: 4

Second-round pick Eddie Goldman held up well against double teams and Bruce Gaston got into the mix with 18 snaps. The penalty on Jenkins was a head scratcher because it was blatant and in plain sight.

Outside linebackers

Grade: 6

The Chargers were prepared for Pernell McPhee. While he didn't get a sack, he had three hits on quarterback Philip Rivers and did a nice job of collapsing the pocket with physical rushes. Willie Young was versatile in 47 snaps. He got a deflection at the line of scrimmage, broke up a pass for Gates and also collapsed the pocket some. Lamarr Houston made up for two offside infractions with consecutive sacks on Rivers to end the Chargers' comeback bid.

Cornerbacks

Grade: 7

The Chargers were short-handed at wide receiver and even worse off when Malcolm Floyd left in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. Tracy Porter forced a fumble to create a rare takeaway for the defense and Kyle Fuller was aggressive and sound in tackling. Callahan played well in the slot and Alan Ball got his feet wet again with 15 snaps.

Safeties

Grade: 7

Adrian Amos had a big hit on Woodhead coming downhill in the run game in the first quarter and also broke up a pass intended for Gates. He keeps getting better.

Quarterback

Grade: 7

Jay Cutler completed his final six passes against blitzes with one going to running back Jeremy Langford on a hot read for 23 yards and three going to Alshon Jeffery, who worked on Steve Williams after Jason Verrett left with a groin injury. Cutler was accurate, other than Verrett's interception, and in control, again stepping up when needed — like on the 25-yard touchdown strike to Zach Miller.

Offensive line

Grade: 6

Other than surrendering a sack/strip to Melvin Ingram, left tackle Charles Leno was strong again. Vladimir Ducasse seems more comfortable at left guard than he looked on the right side. Long had the penalty after he was upset that Jerry Attaochu hit Cutler when Long allowed a pressure. There was a holding penalty, too, so not his finest outing.

Running backs

Grade: 6

Langford made up for the drop a week ago with a diving 31-yard reception and displayed his no-nonsense running style. He's decisive and there isn't a lot of wasted movement. He finds the hole, gets his pads pointed north and south and goes. Langford and Ka'Deem Carey averaged 4.0 yards per carry, which Matt Forte has done this season as well.

Wide receivers

Grade: 7

Jeffery (10 catches, 151 yards) usually hauls in the throw Cutler made on third down from the Chargers' 28-yard line when he soared above Verrett with a five-inch height advantage but couldn't bring the ball down. It was one of the rare third-down miscues. Jeffery was targeted a game-high 16 times, but Cutler spread the ball around to keep the defense honest.

Tight ends

Grade: 8

It was just a matter of time for Martellus Bennett to get going again with eight catches on nine targets for 57 yards. He broke several tackles and then Miller turned in the catch of the night with a one-handed grab of a fastball from 25 yards. What's interesting is Bennett had 62 of 72 snaps after sitting out only 14 plays through the first seven games. Miller benefited with 25 snaps.

Special teams

Grade: 4

Awful rare to see Robbie Gould miss two field goal attempts in one game. In fact, it has happened only three times in his career.

A version of this article appeared in print on November 11, 2015, in the Sports section of the Chicago Tribune with the headline "Big stop at the start - `D' helps turn tide with 3-and-out to begin 2nd half - Film session" —
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